


Dark Tide

by daughterofposeidon (buckyismymainman)



Series: Diaries of a Half-Blood God [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alex trying to be a responsible older sister, Gen, Percy Jackson Fanfic, Percy Jackson and the Olympians The Sea of Monsters, Percy Jackson's older sister, Sibling problems, We're going on another adventure y'all, and this time we're on a boat, but Percy makes it so hard, minor cussing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-05-23 17:34:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14938788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckyismymainman/pseuds/daughterofposeidon
Summary: Alex has joined the Jackson clan as an official member and she couldn't be happier.  For the past several months she's been living with her younger brother Percy and his mom Sally Jackson, now her adoptive mom.  But then Alex get's a call saying Percy shouldn't come back to Camp Half-Blood, that there's trouble at the border.  Does Percy listen to his mother or his sister?  No.  Does Alex help Percy with his quest?  In a way.  There's only so much she can do as an immortal, but she'll be damned if she let's her brother go into the Sea of Monsters without her.





	1. Chapter 1

My phone rang which normally wasn’t a good sign. It was meant for emergencies only, and when it was Chiron calling that meant something was wrong with the camp.  I answered the phone a bit wearily.  “What’s wrong?”

“I would ask why you assume there’s something wrong, but I know you know I only call when there’s an emergency, and two this is more serious than playful banter.  The camp is in danger, someone has poisoned Thalia’s tree.” 

I stood in my room frozen, half-dressed for my usual day at work.  “When?”

“Sometime either yesterday or during the night when we were all asleep.  Either way the border is weakening and monsters are coming.  I’ve set up border patrols, but I don’t know if we’ll be able to fend them off if they come in droves.  Alex, Percy must not come back to Camp, it’s too dangerous.  Especially if he’s the child of the prophecy, we need him safe.”

“What am I supposed to tell him?”  I hissed into the phone.  “He’s been looking forward to coming back this summer for ages now.  I can’t just say ‘Hey Perc, let’s go to Disney World instead of going back to Camp!”

Chiron sighed on the other end, “I know, but we have to keep him away, it’s for the best.”

There was a knock on my door, “Alex, is everything okay?”  Sally was on the other side. 

“Hold on Chiron,” I said into the phone, then I turned to the door.  “Sally, could you come in here for a moment?”

The door opened slowly and Sally had a worried look on her face.  “What is it?”

“Shut the door,” I instructed.  She did as she was told and then walked over to me, “Okay Chiron, Sally’s here, tell her what you just told me.”

“Hello Ms. Jackson, how are you?”

“I’m fine, just tell me what’s wrong,” she frowned, Sally wasn’t one for niceties if something was wrong.

Chiron launched into what was going on at Camp.  When he finished Sally looked at me and I closed my eyes.  I had seen this coming, but now that it was here I had no idea how to even begin to handle it.  “Just try to keep Percy away from Camp until we get this solved.”

“We’ll try,” we promised, but both of us knew that was going to be damn near impossible.  Percy was stubborn, and if Camp was in trouble he was going to become heroic and try to help.  When I hung up Sally began to pace.  “We shouldn’t tell him until the end of the day.  I promised we’d take him and Tyson to the skate park as a celebration for Percy making it through the year without getting into any trouble.  We’ll break it to him then.”

“He’s not going to listen to either of us Sally, he’s going to go whether we like it or not.”  I picked my jacket up off the bed.  “I need to go to Olympus and then I have to go to Camp and help them defend the borders.  I’ll try to be back before school ends this afternoon.”

She nodded, “All right, come on breakfast is ready.”  I followed her into the dining room where Percy was already waiting, his breakfast in front of him.

I plastered a fake smile on my face, “You ready for your last day of school kid?”

He nodded, “It feels so good to have made it through a whole year with minimal trouble.  And I’ll even be able to go back next year, but honestly I can’t wait to go back to Camp tomorrow.”  My smile faltered a little.  “Alex, what’s wrong?”

“I was thinking,” I started slowly.  “Why don’t we delay going to Camp for a bit and the two of us take a trip.  We could go to Disney World, it’ll be a great sister-brother bonding trip.” 

He narrowed his eyes and looked at his mom who was studiously looking at her food.  “Mom?  What’s going on?  Why are the two of you acting so weird?”

“Weird?  We’re not acting weird,” I said, but my voice betrayed me.

Percy was getting irritated now, “Just tell me what’s wrong!  Why don’t the two of you want me to go back to Camp?”

I looked at Sally and she looked up at me, “You tell him, he’s the one that called you.”

Of course I was the one that was going to have to break the news.  “Look, there’s trouble at Camp.  I’m going to go try and take care of it, but Chiron suggested that maybe you delay coming until the problem is resolved.  I agree, it’ll be safer for you if you just stay away.”

“Safer?  Camp is supposed to be one of the only places that is safe for me.”

“I know, we can discuss this more later, after school,” Sally interjected.  “But you need to head out and Alex has business she needs to attend too.”

Percy went to protest but one look from his mom had him closing his mouth.  He stood up and went to go get his school things.  “I can take you to the bus stop,” I said.

“Don’t bother,” he slammed the front door behind him.

I dropped my head, “I knew he would be mad, but it doesn’t hurt any less.”  Sally squeezed my shoulder reassuringly.  “Can you handle things here?”  I looked at the dirty dishes, I hated leaving her with the mess.

She nodded, “You’ve got more important things to worry about.  Go, I can handle this little mess.”

 The Empire State Building loomed in front of me.  The last time I had been here it had been with Percy last summer when he had returned Zeus’s Master Bolt after Luke Castellan had stolen it.  Father had asked me to come several times over the winter, and I had considered it, but for once I just wanted to lead a normal life.

I knew it had hurt Dad when I refused his invites, but for once in my life things didn’t revolve around prophecies or the dealings of the gods.  I was happy.  But now that summer had arrived the illusions I had been living under were now over and it was time to get back to work.

The receptionist handed me the keycard as soon as I asked for it.  I waited for an empty elevator and headed up.  When the doors opened to reveal the gleaming city of Olympus the first thing I noticed were the dark clouds and the lightning raining down.  Zeus must have found out about his daughter and he was not pleased.

I hurried down the streets of the city and made it to the throne room where all the gods were gathered.  “How could this have happened?”  Zeus’s voice boomed.  “I turned her into a tree to protect her and now you’re telling me that she’s been poisoned!”

The gods cringed and I stepped farther into the room.  “Uncle,” I said cautiously.  Zeus turned his blazing gaze to me, “Don’t lose faith, there is still away to save her.”

“How?!  Can you heal her with all your magic and abilities?  Tell me, niece, what can you do for my dying daughter?”

I squared my shoulders, I would not be cowed by the god in front of me.  “The Golden Fleece,” I announced.  Murmurs went around the room.  “It has healing properties.  It could be the only thing that can save Thalia.”

“She’s correct,” Athena said.  “If someone where to find the Golden Fleece, Thalia could be saved.”

Zeus looked back at me, “And who will find the Golden Fleece?  It has been lost for centuries.”

“Never fear Uncle, someone will locate it, just try not to get too upset until there is no hope left.”  I needed him to calm down, if he stayed on this warpath there was no telling what he would do.  “I will try to prolong her life to the very last second.”

Zeus nodded, “Fine, and I want whoever did this to be punished severely.”

“Trust me, he will be,” with that the gods slowly left to attend to other matters.

Father, who had been staring at me from the moment I stepped into the room, shrunk down to my height and walked over to me.  “Alex,” he said.  “How are you?”

“I’ve been better,” I responded.  “Percy’s good, a little upset that his mother, Chiron, and I want him to stay away.  He won’t of course, but that was never a shocker to me.”  I folded my hands behind my back.  “I’m sorry I never came to visit during the winter, I just needed this time to feel… I don’t normal?”

He held up a hand and stopped me from continuing, “There is no need to apologize Alex, while I was sad that you didn’t come to visit me I understand.  You haven’t had a normal family in a while.  Bouncing back and forth between Olympus and Camp Half-Blood was never easy for you.  And to top it off you had to give up mortality so that you wouldn’t be the child in the prophecy.  You were due for a little normalcy,” he said with a slight smile.

I relaxed, “I was, and this past winter has been great.  Being with Sally and Percy was wonderful.”

Dad shifted, “How is she?”

I knew Dad still harbored feelings for Sally.  He loved her, and I knew if she would agree he would make her immortal and Queen of the oceans.  But she didn’t want that life and Dad respected that though it hurt him.  “She’s good, better now that she’s no longer with Gabe.”  His eyes darkened a little, it killed Dad that he could never get involved when he knew what Gabe was doing to her.  “She’s happier.”

“Good, that’s good,” he nodded.  “You should go, I know Camp is in trouble.  I won’t hold you up anymore.”

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him.  “Everything will work out Dad, I promise.”

“Goodbye Alex,” he murmured before releasing me and heading back to his palace under the waves.

I rushed back to the elevator and practically tossed the keycard at the receptionist before heading to Camp.  When I arrived all seemed to okay at the moment.  Clarisse and several of her siblings were standing at the hill keeping watch. 

I walked over to them, “Any activity?”

She shook her head, “No, not since this morning, but I have a feeling more are on their way.”

“If anything happens call out my name, I’ll be here as quickly as I can.  I’m going to talk with Chiron and Mr. D.”  They nodded and I took off down the hill toward the Big House.  Chiron was in the war room trying to figure out a way to save Thalia’s tree.  “You’re going to need the Golden Fleece.”

He looked up from his concoctions and sighed, “I was afraid you were going to say that.”  He walked over to me, “I hate that we have to see one another again under such dire straits.”

“There’s always something threatening the semblance of peace we’ve maintained over the years,” I told Chiron.  “What’s one more thing?”

We walked up the stairs to the porch where we could see Half-Blood Hill.  “Is he staying away?”

“Sally and I were going to talk to him after school, but I think he’s bound and determined to come back to Camp whether we tell him it’s unsafe or not.”  I looked up at my old mentor.  “He’ll be one of the ones on the quest for the Fleece.”

“What should I do?”  Chiron asked.  He sounded tired, he had probably been working nonstop since I told him and Mr. D about the children of the prophecy and how many possible people there could be. 

I looked back at the hill, “There’s nothing you can do.  Things just have to run their course.  But when it’s time to assign a person to go on a quest, send Clarisse, don’t choose Percy.”

“Why?  If you say he’s just going to go anyway then why even choose her to go?”  Chiron sounded genuinely shocked that I was suggesting this.

“I have my reasons, just choose Clarisse.”


	2. Chapter 2

The Colchis Bulls were the first attack the Camp had faced since I had come back.  I hear Clarisse shout my name and I took off towards the hill summoning my sword as I ran.  I could see the campers fighting the bulls trying to not let them touch their skin.  One touch and it would probably melt their flesh.

I shoved one demigod out of the way as a bull charged forward.  I swiped at it with my sword and it roared in anger.  “Come on!”  I shouted at it.  The bull charged and I leapt into the air driving my sword through its skull.  The machine bull sputtered and then died, the heat instantly dying down.

I turned to see how the others were handling the second bull when I saw Percy and Annabeth fighting.  Percy’s friend Tyson with them.  I went to rush over to help them when Tyson stopped the bull with his bare hands.  Percy was shouting at him not to, but Tyson was special.  He wasn’t just an ordinary human, he was a Cyclops.  A monster with one eye and he was Percy and I’s half-brother.  I knew Tyson was one of the reasons behind why Percy hadn’t been attacked by monsters this whole school year.

Tyson managed to stop the bull and I walked over, checking Percy over for any injuries.  “Why aren’t you still at school?”

“I may be a wanted fugitive again,” he said a bit sheepishly. 

I pinched the bridge of his nose, “Oh Dad’s going to be so pissed at me.”  I looked at Annabeth, “What happened?”

“Laistrygonian Giants,” Annabeth said with a shrug.  “They destroyed the gym, I managed to get Seaweed Brain out of there before the cops arrived.”

Percy looked a little dejected, “I’m pretty sure I won’t be invited back now.”

I pulled him in for another hug, “There’ll be other schools.  Come on we need to let Chiron know you’re here, and then we’ll IM your mom and let her know what happened.”

Percy nodded and looked back at Tyson, “Come on Tyson.”

Tyson tried, but there was no way he could break through the barrier, not like the bulls at least.  He wasn’t strong enough.  “Invite him inside, it’s the only way he can cross the border.”

“Oh, uh, I invite you into Camp Tyson.”

Tyson took a tentative stepped forward and this time he wasn’t stopped.  He looked at me and smiled from ear to ear, “Hello Alex.”

“Hy Ty, nice to see you,” I responded with a smile of my own.  Annabeth was glaring at me, but I shrugged it off.  Tyson was harmless unlike some of his brethren.  I looked at Clarisse, “Go get patched up, I’ll send some other campers to the border.”

“I’m—”  She began to protest. 

I leveled her a look, “Your campers need to be attended to.”  That made her snap out of it, she looked back at her siblings, some of them looking a little worse for wear.  Then she looked back at me and nodded.  I turned to Percy, “Go to the Big House, Chiron’s there.  I’ll join you shortly.”  Annabeth, Tyson, and Percy headed for the Big House while I helped Clarisse carry her wounded to the infirmary where the Apollo kids would hopefully patch them up.

Once I was sure they’d be okay I sent some other campers to the border.  I followed them and walked over to Thalia’s tree.  Pine needles were falling around the base, and the bark wasn’t looking too good.  I rested my hand against the trunk and worked as much magic as I could, but there was only so much that would help.

When I opened my eyes the tree didn’t look any better and the campers were looking on with worry in their eyes.  “What’s going to happen to us if Thalia’s tree dies?”  Elena one of the Apollo kids asked.

I looked back at the tree, “The barrier will be no more and we risk monster attacks.”

“Is there anything you can do?”  Connor Stoll asked me.  His usual carefree attitude nowhere to be seen right now.

“Creating a new barrier won’t be easy, I can try to reinforce it, but that magic won’t last and it’s more like a patch job than anything else,” I told him.  “The only way is if a god came and created a new barrier.”

“You’re close with your dad,” Elena said.  “Can you convince him to help us?”

I knew that was going to be something that the campers brought up.  “I can try, but I can’t promise anything.  While I have sway with them, something like this may be too big of a favor.”  I could see the downtrodden looks on their faces.  “Don’t worry, I’m not going to stop until I fix this.”

“Thanks, Alex,” they all murmured.

All I could do was nod and then head back down to the Big House.  Percy and them were coming out when I arrived.  “How are the campers?” Annabeth asked me.

“They’re fine, they’re in stable condition, and the Apollo cabin is watching over them.  I tried to heal Thalia’s tree as best I could, but there’s only so much I can do for it.”  Annabeth looked like she was on the verge of tears.  I knew how much she had cared about Thalia, and this must have been extremely hard for her.

Percy looked toward the hill where the silhouettes of the campers could be seen.  “What can we do to save her?”

I looked at Annabeth, “There may be a magical item that could save Thalia’s tree.”

Annabeth’s eyes lit up, “I may have some books on this, give me time.  I’ll find it.”  Then she dashed off toward the Athena cabin.

Percy looked at me, “You already know what we need don’t you?”

“Yep, but I can’t tell you, I’m not supposed to interfere in big ways, and this would be a big thing,” I reminded him.  “Don’t worry, Annabeth will figure it out.”

Percy looked up at Tyson, there was a different look in his eyes as he looked at him now that he knew Tyson was a Cyclops.  “Come on, let’s go get something to eat and then Alex and I are going to IM my mom.”

We took Tyson to the dining pavilion and let him grab what he wanted while I got the Iris message started.  “Sally?  Sally are you there?”

Sally peered into her end of the connection, “Alex?  Is Percy there?  Something happened at his school, people are saying he’s a fugitive again.”

“I’m here Mom,” he responded.  “I’m fine, we got attacked and of course I’m the one that got blamed for it.”

“At least you’re safe,” she said.  Then she looked at me, “What now?”

“He stays here, I can’t leave Camp, and he’ll be vulnerable out there now.  The safest place for him is with me, I can keep an eye on him.”

“All right, be safe.  I love you both.”  She gave us a shaky smile and then we broke the connection.

“I’ll summon your stuff to Camp,” I told him.  “Just try to relax and keep an eye out for any signs of danger.”  I kissed the top of his head and headed back to the Big House to work on some potions that would help strengthen the border and hopefully keep Thalia’s tree alive for a little bit longer.

 

The opening campfire of the season was a somber one.  All of us had gathered around, the flames low not the usual height they normally reached when the summer began.  The members of the watch that had been injured had joined us.  None of us talked for the longest time.

“What are we going to do?”  Connor asked.  “How are we going to save Thalia?”

“I’m working on it,” Annabeth said.  “There has to be a magical item out there that let’s up heal things.  I’m going to find it and then we’ll need a quest.”

The campers all looked at one another.  Michael spoke up next, “Who will go on this quest?”

“I will,” Percy said.  “Whatever happens I’ll go.”

A couple of campers sneered, “What so you can have the glory of saving the camp again?”

He shook his head, “No, I just want to protect the camp like you all.  I’m not doing it for the glory.”  A couple of campers snorted like they didn’t believe him.  Percy’s cheeks turned pink.

I stood up, “All right that’s enough for tonight.  We don’t have to figure out who’s going on the quest right now.  Just get some sleep.”  The campers stood and one by one started filing out to their cabins.  I looked toward Percy, “Go to our cabin and try to get some sleep.  I have to make sure the border holds while everyone sleeps.”

“But you’ll be worn out by tomorrow.  What if we need you then?”

“I’ll be fine, just go get some sleep.”  He relented and I made sure he entered our cabin before walking up the hill.  I sat down and rested my back against Thalia’s tree.  “Ah Thalia, what are we going to do?  Camp’s in danger, you’re dying, the prophecy is coming true….”  I sighed, “I don’t think I can do this.”

I know I had signed up to be the one that watched over Percy and made sure he came out of this alive, and to make sure that he wasn’t going to betray the gods, but this was a lot for me.  Having to worry about him and the camp was draining. 

I heard footsteps coming up the hill.  “What are you doing up Annabeth?”

She took a seat next to me, a book perched in one hand and a flashlight in another.  “I can’t sleep.”

“You should be in bed, resting,” I chastised.  “I know you’re worried, but everything will work out.  You’ll see.”  I looked over at her and she glanced at me before flipping her book open.  “Fine, stay here with me, but if something happens I need you to warn the others.  Don’t worry about me.  Got it?”

“Got it,” she repeated.

So together we sat there, she was reading while I kept a vigilant watch out for monsters.  Slowly the first rays of sunlight because to come up, lighting the sky up in brilliant colors.  Annabeth had fallen asleep on my shoulder sometime in the night as she flipped through her book.

Looking down I flipped through a few pages until I found the one I was looking for.  I nudged Annabeth, “Hey wake up, it’s morning.”

“Huh?”  Annabeth jerked awake.  “Oh, when did I fall asleep?”

“Don’t know,” I responded.  “I wasn’t keeping time.”

She looked down at her book and she let out a little noise.  “This is it!  This is what can save Thalia!”  She jumped up and went running down the hill.

I scrambled up after her.  “Annabeth wait!”  I reinforced the border one last time, it would hold until the next guard shift arrived.  She ran all the way to the Big House where Chiron was on the porch having a cup of his morning tea.

“Chiron!  I’ve found what could save Thalia.”  She thrust the book into his face.  “The Golden Fleece.  It’s magic might be one of the only things that can save Thalia.  We have to try and find it.”

Chiron gently took the book from Annabeth.  “I will tell the others at breakfast and then later today I will announce the quest, but for right now go back to your cabin and get ready with your cabinmates.”  She nodded and rushed off.

I lingered on the stairs, “I may have given her the nudge to find it sooner.  Thalia’s tree isn’t getting any better and I can’t keep putting in the energy to keep the border up.  I’ll drain myself before we can fix it for good.”

“Alex, are you going on this quest with them?”  There was concern in his eyes.

I looked toward the cabins and sighed, “I don’t know Chiron.  One the one hand I want to, so many things are going to go down and I want to be there for him, but on the other hand I need to be here.  What would the campers think if I abandoned them again and left to go one another quest with Percy?  They’ll think I care more about him than I do them.”

“You still have time to consider your options Alex,” he said in that way that he knew what I was going to do before I even knew it myself.

I looked up at him, “I don’t have enough time.”  With that I turned and headed to the Poseidon Cabin to wake Percy and get ready for the long day ahead of me.


	3. Chapter 3

Chiron and I stood before the campers.  Chiron was still holding the book that Annabeth had found the Golden Fleece in.  “We may have found a solution to saving Thalia’s tree,” he announced.  “Earlier Annabeth brought it to my attention about a magical item that had the ability to heal anything.  The Golden Fleece.  We will have a quest to send three of our bravest heroes out to find the fleece.”

Murmurs ran through the crowds of demigods, who would be the bravest?  “We know that this has been hard for you all, but hopefully with the Fleece, we will have our protective borders back,” I said as I looked out over them all.

“I have decided who I think would be best to go out on this quest,” Chiron glanced down at me.  He didn’t think she was the right choice, but this had to be done.  I looked over at Percy and saw that he was taking in a deep breath, he thought Chiron was going to choose him.  “Clarisse la Rue,” he said after a moment’s hesitation.

Percy’s face fell and he looked at me.  I shrugged as if to say, “What can you do?”

Clarisse’s cabinmates clapped and cheered and she grinned from ear to ear, clearly thrilled that she had been chosen to do this.  “You will go visit the Oracle immediately and if you come back sane then you may pick the people you wish to go along with you.”

He led Clarisse up to the Big House so that she could meet with the Oracle.  Percy walked over to me, “Why wasn’t I chosen?”

This was one of those awkward times where I wasn’t quite sure what I was supposed to do.  I couldn’t tell him that I had specifically told Chiron that I said Percy shouldn’t be the one he chooses, that it had to be Clarisse.  “Maybe Chiron felt that Clarisse would be better suited for this mission, and I mean you did go through an awful lot last summer.  Maybe he thought it best if you just stayed here.”

“I should be the one that gets to go out there.  They need Clarisse here, not me,” he argued.  He wasn’t wrong, but this was how it had to be.

“Percy, do you trust me?”

“Of course,” he said without hesitation.

I nodded, “The night after Clarisse leaves, I want you to go to the beach and just sit in quiet reflection.  I’ll keep the harpies away from you.”  I sighed when I saw his confused look.  “I know this is confusing, but it’s all I can tell you.  Also tell me what’s happened to Grover.”  His eyes widened, “I know something’s up, you haven’t talked about him lately and no one’s heard from him.”

Percy looked around, he didn’t want the others to overhear this, “I don’t know.  I’ve been having… dreams.  Not the ones like we get sometimes, this is different.  It’s like Grover knows I can see him.  I think he’s in trouble.”

I cursed, “He set up an empathy link.”

“A what?”

I waved off the question, “Grover can explain it better than I can.  Just do as I said okay?”  He nodded.  “Go and find something to do, I need to go see how Clarisse is doing and if the Oracle drover her mad.”  I headed toward the Big House.

Clarisse was coming down the stairs talking to Chiron about what the Oracle had told her.  When she saw me she paused.  “Look Alex, I know we don’t always see eye to eye on things.  But I’m trusting you to make sure the camp stays safe while I’m gone.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t dream of leaving it defenseless, this is my home too.”

Chiron excused himself so that the two of us could talk.  “I’m glad I get to leave, I’m just worried about what we’re going to find out there.”

“Have you picked the campers going with you?”  I asked.

She shook her head, “Not yet, but I’ll pick before I’m set to leave.  Let me guess you want me to pick Wise Girl and your brother?”

“You are allowed to choose whoever you want, I’m not here to pressure you into choosing people you don’t want on your quest with you.”  This was true, I would never pressure people to take someone they didn’t want tagging along with them.

She was silent, “Well I should get back to training and prepare for the quest.  Just make sure they all stay safe.”  I nodded and she hurried off to join her cabinmates.

I found Chiron and said, “Percy’s not happy, but he’ll survive.”

“I figured as much,” he responded. 

I looked toward the ocean and said, “There’s something that I need to do.  Keep an eye on Camp, I’ll be back as soon as possible.”  Chiron didn’t try to question me as I disappeared.

The _Princess Andromeda_ was Luke’s ship.  A ship he was using as a moving headquarters.  I could feel my grandfather’s remains on board, I wondered what sort of pain and torture Luke had gone through to get those from Tartarus.  I moved through the ship.  Monsters growled at me as I passed, but I noticed a lot of humans in dazes walking around.  He was using it as a front. 

I walked up to the wheelhouse where I found him standing talking to some monsters and one demigod.  “Uh Luke,” Ethan Nakamura said when he noticed me standing there.  He visibly paled as he realized I had found him out.

Luke turned, a smile breaking out onto his face, “Alex!  Come to join our cause?”

I glared at them, “I think we all know the answer to that _cousin,”_ I spat.

He chuckled and folded his hands behind his back, “Then what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Thalia.”  Luke’s facial features suddenly hardened over.  “You poisoned her Luke.”

He shrugged his shoulders, “I needed a way to get the demigods to see that the gods don’t really care about them.  If they did then they would fix the border and continue protecting the demigods.”

“That’s not how things work and you know it.”  I shook my head, “Your dad cares about you, Luke.”

“Not all of us got to grow up on Olympus!  Some of us had to fight our way through hordes of monsters to get to camp.  The gods sit safely on Olympus and watch as we all suffer.  You are no better than them Alex, you turned into a god, you think you’re so much better than all of us.  You only care about protecting your precious brother.”

That was the moment I snapped.  I was on him in a blink of an eye, my hand wrapped around his throat, him pressed up against the wall of the ship we were on.  I heard several growls and swords drawn.  Luke merely grinned knowing he had hit a nerve.  “She can’t kill me,” the smugness of his voice made me want to snap his neck.  “If she does then she throws off the balance and who knows what will happen next.”

I released him and backed away.  “I’m not like the other demigods, I know this.  But I will turn back into a mortal when this whole prophecy business is over.  Tell grandfather that when the time comes I will make sure he never sees the sun again.”  With that I disappeared, a haunting laugh filling my ears.

 

Clarisse left Camp the next day and that night I sent Percy to the beach where he would run into Hermes and get some words of wisdom from him.  Then I sent Tyson and Annabeth to his location. 

“Aren’t you coming with us?”  Annabeth asked me before she rushed off to find Percy.

I shook my head, “I need to stay here, there are things that I have to do.  If you need me thought just call out okay?”  She nodded and hurried off.  I could hear the harpies screeching, talking about how there were campers out of bed.  I stopped them, “They have my permission.  Leave them be.”

Grumpily they turned and headed back for the kitchens.  Percy and the others would have gotten help from Father by now and were on their way to their next destination to start the quest.  I hoped I was doing the right thing by not going with them.

 _Alex?_ I was surprised when I heard Percy’s voice in my head.

 _What?  Is something wrong already?!_ I panicked for a moment.  They had just left they couldn’t possibly be in trouble that quickly.

_No, we’re fine.  I just wanted to know why you didn’t come with us._

I relaxed, _I have to stay behind, I have to make sure you have a camp to come back too.  I told Annabeth that if you need me all you have to do is call out and I’ll be there, but trust me you can do this without me._

_It feels weird not having you around._

_I know kid, and it’s going to feel weird without having you here, but you’ll be back soon.  Just stay safe._

_We’ll try._ The connection faded and he was gone.

I sat on the porch for the remainder of the evening just keeping a silent watch over things.  I trusted Percy to do this by himself, I trusted him to make the right choices.  It was all just a waiting game now.

 

“Where are Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson?”  Chiron asked me the next morning as we all gathered for breakfast.  The others were murmuring about how the three of them had up and disappeared as well. 

“They’re fine, they’re on a quest,” I said bluntly.

Mr. D snorted, “And let me guess you allowed this quest without coming to us first.”

I shrugged, “I didn’t do anything of the sort, I didn’t tell them to leave the camp.  This is the way things had to happen.  Trust me, everything will work out, but Chiron there’s something I need you to do….”

He raised an eyebrow, “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“We can discuss it more after breakfast, but it’s going to require you to put your faith in me.”

“As if he doesn’t already put enough faith in you,” Mr. D grumbled.

“Would you like your sentence shortened?”  I snapped at him.  “A little _quid pro quo_ never hurt anyone.”  He glared but didn’t say anything.  “I’ll meet you at the Big House shortly.”  I grabbed something quick to eat and headed up to Thalia’s tree where there were some campers keeping watch.  “Go eat you guys, I’ve got this.”

“Thanks, Alex,” they chimed as they rushed for the dining pavilion.

I scarfed down breakfast and pulled a vial of healing potion out of my back pocket.  It was one of the remaining few that Chiron and I had made.  We were going to make more soon, but they were becoming less effective each time.

I dumped it on the roots and watched as it sunk into the soil.  Nothing spectacular happened after that, the tree looked a little greener, but not by much.  “Hang in there Thalia,” I whispered.

After breakfast the campers I had relieved came back to their post and I went to find Chiron.  He was sitting in his wheelchair on the front porch watching the campers train.  “What did you need me to do Alex?”

“I need you to leave the camp and gathered your relatives in the south.  I need them to go to Florida and wait for my signal there.”

He studied me for a moment, “And why do I need to do this?”

“Percy and the others are going to show up on Miami beach in a few days’ time with the Fleece, but Luke will be waiting and they’re going to need some help being bailed out.  I’ll be there if I haven’t joined them sooner, I would go with you, but first I have to head out to California.”

Chiron’s eyes widened, “Alex, please tell me you’re not going where I think you are.”

I nodded, “I’m the protector of demigods, they fall under my jurisdiction as well.  I’ll be fine, I don’t plan on an extended stay.”

Chiron eyed me and then relented, “All right, I’ll tell Mr. D that the both of us will be missing for an extended period of time.  Go and come back as quickly as you can.”  I squeezed Chiron’s shoulder and left for Sally’s apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where is Alex going I wonder? ;)


	4. Chapter 4

Sally was home when I arrived, seeing me come home from Camp like this immediately sent her ‘mom mode’ into overdrive.  “What’s happened?  Where’s Percy?  Is he okay?  Please tell me nothing happened to him.”  I wasn’t used to the onslaught of questions like this.  No one had ever been this worried about me before.  Sally must have realized this and backed off, “I’m sorry, I should give you the chance to explain before just blurting out so many questions.”

“It’s fine,” I amended.  “Percy’s… fine.  He left on a quest, and if things go the way they’re supposed to he’ll come back unscathed for the most part.  I’m here because I needed mundane clothes, where I’m going I can’t just show up in a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt.”

Sally chewed on her nail, “Alex, maybe you should slow down a little.”

I stopped in the entryway to the hallway and turned back to her, “What?”

She sighed and sat on the arm of the couch, “I just mean that you look tired.  I know you’re worried about Camp, and now Percy’s out on a quest.  You just have a lot on your shoulders, I don’t want you to burn yourself out.”

I walked over and pulled Sally into a hug, “Thank you for worrying about me, Sally.  And I understand your worry, trust me I do, but I have to make sure that Percy is safe and that I warn the people I’m going to go see.”  I pulled away from her, “You just have to trust me.”

“I do trust you,” she said.  “All right, go do what you need to do and I’m here for you if you need to talk to someone.”

I gave her a smile before dashing down the hall to my room.  I shucked off my t-shirt and pulled on something a little less obvious.  I shouted goodbye to Sally and then reappeared in San Francisco.  I hadn’t been to California since last summer and it felt a little weird to be here and be going to another camp for demigods.

I found the entrance to Camp Jupiter, a safe haven for Roman demigods, and walked through the tunnel to the other side where I was met by two guards.  They eyed me suspiciously, “Who are you?”

“My name is Alex Jackson, and I’m here to see your praetors.”  The two looked between one another, clearly not sure if they should trust me or not.  “All right, I don’t have all day.”  I froze them to their spots, “When I am out of sight you will forget that I was ever here.  No one came through that entrance and no one left through that entrance.  Understood?”  They nodded a bit robotically.

Shaking my head I headed for the inner workings of the city.  I was however stopped at the gate by a statue by the name of Terminus, “Well, well, well if it isn’t Alexandra Worthington.”

I bristled at my old name, “It’s Jackson now.”

“Is it?  I can’t keep up with you people anymore.  What are you doing here Gre—?”  I shot him a look that instantly had his mouth closing.

“Say one more word about me being anything other than Roman and I’ll smash you into bits.”

“You can’t stop me,” the statue frowned.  “I am a god.”

“So am I,” I countered.  “Now let me in I need to speak with the current praetors.  It’s about protecting this Camp.”  Terminus eyed me up and down, but allowed me access into the camp.

Demigods in the Legion were all around me.  Some taking a break from their daily routines, others still in training.  I paused to watch one group playing a game of soccer.  “Hey Jason, pass me the ball!”  A boy shouted at a blonde-haired boy.  The boy, Jason, looked to be around Percy’s age.

I stopped watching and continued on my path towards the Praetors’ offices.  People stopped to look at me as I passed them by, but the moment I was out of their view they forgot about me.  It was better this way.  The Romans and the Greeks didn’t get along.  I shouldn’t even be here right now, but it was important that I warn them about the Titans and the possible dangers they could be facing in the future.

I knocked on the door and heard a boy say, “Come in.”  I pushed the door open and the boy and girl snapped to attention quickly.  “Who are you?”

“My name is Alexandra Jackson, but you can call me Alex.”  I shut the door behind me.  “And we have something that we need to discuss.”

 

“So you’re telling us that one the other side of the country there is a camp for Greek demigods?”  The girl, Charlotte, asked.

“Yes,” I responded.  “And currently the Titans are rising, Kronos is coming back, and I’ve come to warn you.”

The two of them glanced at one another.  “Why on earth should we believe a word you’re telling us?”  Markus asked.  “If what you’re saying is true, and you are Greek then that makes us enemies.”

“Look, I have a duty to look out for demigods.  I came here as a courtesy.  And now I need you two to swear that you won’t share this knowledge with anyone else, not even the next praetors.  The Greeks don’t know about you either so the only way either of our camps would ever find out is if they somehow accidentally overlapped.”

“Can we discuss this in private?”  Markus asked me.

“Of course,” I stood.  “I’ll wait outside.”

It took about ten minutes and when the door opened both Charlotte and Markus appeared.  “We accept, we won’t tell anyone about your camp, and thank you for the warning, we’ll be on the lookout for anything suspicious.”

“Of course, I’m just looking out for the demigods of the world.  Good luck,” I turned to leave when Charlotte called out to me.

“Will we ever see you again?”

I turned around, “I don’t know.  Maybe,” I shrugged.  “It just depends on where the wind takes me next.  But right now I need to get back home.  Good luck.”

Back at Camp I checked on how things were running.  There had been an attack, but it had been contained quickly.  Mr. D was standing on the porch of the Big House looking out over the valley, watching the demigods.  “I always hated that Father put me here.  Having to watch as the campers go off and die, or never make it to Camp.”  He let out a breath.  “And now the borders are down and there is no telling what’s going to happen.”

“Things will work out Mr. D, you’ll see,” I promised.

He looked away from the campers to me, “You always seem so sure of yourself Alex.  I know you know the fate of this whole thing.  Tell me does grandfather really come back?”

“He will, but he can be stopped.  But many will die before that can be accomplished.”  Too many if you asked me.  “But that’s how it is when you’re a demigod.  Life is short and hard, we don’t always make it to adulthood.”

Mr. D was silent and we stood there watching the campers devise plans and divide up the times for guard duty.  “When will you be leaving again?”  The question caught me off guard.

“Soon, I’m going to go to Olympus and give Zeus a status report of what’s happening down here.”

“And are you going to be joining your brother on his heroic quest?”

“I don’t know, I’ve been debating it.  Trying to decide if he needs me more or if the Camp does.”  I had no doubts that the campers would be able to handle themselves, but I didn’t want them to think I was abandoning them.

“Go,” he said.  “I’ll let you know if something goes terribly wrong.”

I nodded, “Thank you.”  Olympus loomed in front of me in the next second.  I followed the pathways to my uncle’s personal offices.  I knocked before entering.  “Uncle,” I said.

He sat behind his desk looking out the windows over the endless blue sky littered with storm clouds.  “What is it, Alex?”

“I came to give you an update on Thalia,” said.  “There are several parties out looking for the Fleece now, and I’m doing everything I can to keep her tree alive.  I’m thinking about joining the others on their quest in trying to find the Fleece.”

“Then join them,” he wouldn’t look at me.  “Save my daughter.”

“Uncle, have faith.”

“Just go Alex,” he said in a calm tone that worried me.

 

I packed my bag with extra clothes and supplies for the trip.  There was a knock on the door and I turned to see Silena Beauregard standing in the doorway of my cabin.  “You’re going to go find your brother aren’t you?”

I stood to my full height and nodded, “I have to make sure he or Clarisse get the Fleece, it’s the only hope we have for saving Camp.  Thalia’s tree is getting worse and none of my potions are working on it now.  I’ll be back as soon as I can, but I trust all of you to keep Camp safe.  You’re all more capable then you believe.”

Silena frowned, “You should stay here with us.  You need to protect Camp.”

“Silena, I am protecting Camp.  I’ve reinforced the border as best as I could, it should last through tomorrow, just don’t let it take any heave hits.  If something seriously bad goes wrong I’ll know and I’ll come back as soon as possible.”  I shoulder my backpack.  “Trust me.”

She slowly turned and walked out of my cabin without saying another word.  I blew out a breath knowing she was going to go tell the others that I was abandoning them in favor of my brother.  Which wasn’t true.  I need to make sure Clarisse and them got the Fleece back and brought it here before Thalia’s tree was gone for good.

I stood in my cabin trying to locate my brother in the Sea of Monsters.  It wasn’t going to be easy, even my powers would be off in there.  The Sea of Monsters played by its own rules, even gods could fall prey to certain traps while there.

I managed to locate Percy very faintly.  He was on one of the islands, and then it hit me what island he was on.  “Oh gods,” I groaned.  I transported myself there and sure enough my brother was locked in a Guinea Pig cage as a Guinea Pig.  “Hold on Perc,” I said.

I disguised myself as a young maiden and hid my bag in the room and went in search of Annabeth.  She was in one of the libraries reading a book written in ancient Greek.  She looked up when I entered the room.  “Did Circe send you?  I’m not quite done here, I just want to read for a little bit longer, and then I want to see my friend.”

I looked around the room making sure there was no one else there before transforming back into my usual self.  “Now is not the time to be distracted by books Annabeth,” I hissed and I hauled her out of her chair.  “Camp is dying remember?”

She shook her head as if she were coming out of a daze, “How could I have been so stupid?”

I smirked at her, “Now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d hear you say.”  She glared at me and I turned back into the handmaiden I had disguised myself as before.  “Percy’s been turned into a Guinea Pig, you need to feed him one of those multivitamins that Hermes gave him and then we need to get the hell outta dodge.”

We rushed down the halls, slowing when we came up on other girls, all of them were giggling and happy here, but we were about to shatter that illusion.  Annabeth and I entered the room where Percy was being held and she found the pack with the multivitamins.

She took one and then gave one to Percy and the others.  “Stand back,” I warned as the cage started to rattle.  One by one the men that had been transformed into Guinea Pigs broke free and none of them looked happy. 

“Thank you, Miss,” the one with the red beard said.  “Come on lads, let’s go find that sea witch.”  They rushed out of the room just as Percy rushed over to me and threw his arms around me.

“Alex, you have no idea how happy I am to see you.”

“Hug later, we gotta get off this island before Red Beard there gets a chance to go after his ship.”  I grabbed my bag and theirs and we rushed off.  “There!”  I pointed to a ship that was empty and we rushed up onto the deck.

“What’re you doing?!”  A man called out.  “Get off my ship!”

The pirates were rushing toward us, but we were too quick and managed to get away before they could reach the ship.  They were shouting obscenities at us, but it didn’t matter what they said, they wouldn’t catch us now.

I turned to Percy and Annabeth, who were breathing heavily, and said, “Now tell me what I’ve missed.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Luke has this ship, uh what was it called?”  Percy looked toward Annabeth trying to recall the name, but coming up blank.

“ _ Princess Andromeda _ ,” I said before Annabeth could say anything.  They looked at me in confusion. “I was on the ship a few days ago, I let my anger get the better of me and I wanted answers out of Luke.  It was a moment of weakness for me. He could tell I was angry and he relished in the fact that I was powerless to do anything.”

“I can’t say I blame you,” Annabeth said.  “What he did, what he’s doing,” she shook her head, her brows furrowed in anger.  “I don’t know this Luke. This isn’t the same Luke who brought me and Thalia to Camp.  Who was like a brother to me for all these years.”

“No one knows who he is anymore, this is someone who has let his hatred twist into something dark and evil, Kronos got to him and changed the way he saw the world.  Kronos took advantage of Luke’s feelings and this is where it led,” I told them. “So what happened after you got off the  _ Princess Andromeda _ ?  Where’s Tyson?”

Both of them looked at the deck of the ship forlornly.  “There was an accident,” Annabeth said quietly, she sounded like she was on the verge of tears.  “Once we were off Luke’s ship we ran into some trouble, Clarisse bailed us out, and we joined her on her ship.  Then the engine in her ship was going to explode. We had just barely made it into the Sea of Monsters, we were facing Scylla and Charybdis, and that’s when the engine just exploded.  Percy and I managed to make it off, but Tyson was down there when the explosion happened.”

“We don’t know what happened to Clarisse either,” Percy responded.  “We got separated.”

“And then somehow we wound out here on Circe’s island and well you know the rest from there,” Annabeth responded.  “How’s Camp?”

I didn’t really want to fill them in on the state of Thalia’s tree, but there was no dodging it and making it sound better than it actually was.  “She’s dying. My potions aren’t working, the border is failing. I’m not going to lie, it’s bad. We have to get that Fleece before something happens.  I reinforced the border as much as I could, but only that will hold for so long.”

“Why didn’t you stay then?”  Annabeth cried. “You’re more help to them then you are to us!”

I shook my head, “Annabeth, there’s nothing else I can do for Camp now.  I have to help you get the Fleece and get it back to Camp before Thalia’s tree dies for good.”  Annabeth chewed on her lip, she knew I was right. There was no point in me staying at Camp if there was nothing else I could do for the Thalia.  At least out here I was trying to find the cure for her. I walked over to the wheel of the ship and took hold of it. “Get some rest, I’ll keep watch.  The next island we’ll be coming up on is the island of the sirens.” 

Percy and Annabeth headed below deck to get some sleep while I kept us on course.

 

A little while later Percy climbed the stairs and joined me by the wheel.  It was dark out, the stars shining overhead, but they were different from the ones I was used to seeing.  The Sea of Monsters played by its own set of rules, and that meant the sky did too. “Does my mom know that I’m out here on another quest?”

“She knows, she doesn’t seem mad at you if that’s what you’re worried about.  Although I didn’t tell her you left without Chiron’s permission.”

“Technically I had yours,” he said with a grin.

I laughed, “That is true I was the one that told you to go to the beach that night.”

“You knew didn’t you?”  He asked. “Somehow you always know.”

I turned to him and gave him one of those smiles that wasn’t quite a smile.  “I’m not going to lie to you Percy, I know almost everything that’s going to happen to you.  Before I ever knew you existed I received a prophecy telling me that I would have a brother, someone who was going to be important one day.  And if he was going to be important I wanted to know everything that could possibly happen to him. So I went to the gods and I made a deal. I would become immortal while all this played out, and I would guide you on your journey through the years to make sure what happened with Luke didn’t happen with you.  They agreed and Apollo gave me several books tell me all the things that were going to happen once you discovered you were a demigod. I can’t change things, but I can guide you and look out for you and make sure you stick to the path you were meant to be on.”

Percy stood there quietly for a moment and for a second I thought maybe he was mad at me.  “That’s why you came on our first quest with us. You had to make sure things followed a certain pattern and that we didn’t go off course.”

I nodded, “I hated leaving you in the Lotus Casino, but it had to be done.”  I rested my head against the wheel. “It kills me that this is the way things have to be.  That I can’t tell you all the things I want to tell you, that I can’t just tell you the outcome of your life….” 

“But that could potentially ruin the future,” he filled in.  “Don’t worry Alex, I understand this. I get that there are things that you can’t tell me, but I know you always have what’s best for me in mind.”

I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed him, “I love you, please don’t ever forget that.”  He squeezed me back and we stood there for a few moments before I let go. “Go wake Annabeth up, we’re getting closer to the sirens’ island.”

He disappeared below deck and got Annabeth.  Before I could tell them that we would have to put beeswax in our ears Annabeth said.  “I want to hear what they have to say. I want you to tie me up to the mast.”

I gripped the wheel a little tighter, I knew what would happen if I let her do this.  “Annabeth, I don’t think that’s the best idea….”  I bit my lip trying to keep from talking her out of it.

“No, I want to do this and this will probably be my only chance,” she said forcefully.  “Let me do this Alex.”

I closed my eyes and nodded, “All right, Percy tie her up.”  He nodded and found some rope and began tying her to the mast of the ship.  I grabbed some beeswax and handed it to Percy. “I’ll steer the ship, just hold on and make sure Annabeth is all right.  And whatever you do, do not take this wax out of your ears.”  He nodded and shoved it in, and when it was in he gave me a thumbs up.

The moment both pieces of wax were in my ears the world went silent.  I took in a deep breath and returned to my post. Up ahead the waters were growing choppier and I could see dark clouds forming in the sky.  A fog rolled in and I had to rely on my senses to keep us away from rocks or anything that would trap our ship.

Annabeth was thrashing against the ropes holding her to the mast.  She was shouting something, most likely begging us to let her go so she could go to the island where the sirens were.  I could barely make the sirens out through the fog. 

Percy was watching Annabeth from a distance, holding onto the railing as the ship rocked back and forth.  I fought to keep her straight and to keep her for going wild, but it was hard with the conditions we were in.

We hit a bump and Percy tumbled forward onto the deck.  I screamed his name, but realized that he couldn’t hear me at all.  I growled in frustration and looked to where Annabeth was only to realize that she wasn’t there.  She had used her knife to escape the ropes holding her, and in the moment we were both distracted leaped over the side of the ship and began swimming toward the island, right to her death.  For a minute I regretted letting her not put wax in her ears like Percy and I, but she needed to see what the sirens were singing about.

Percy noticed at the same time I did and went rushing for the side of the ship where he saw her swimming to the island.  He looked back at me frantically and I mouthed a single word.

_ “Go.” _


End file.
